Fans not up to speed with complicated laws will have chance to listen to dumbed-down
in-game commentary

Rugby union novices attending this autumn’s World Cup will be offered dumbed-down in-game commentary in a bid to help them understand the sport’s complicated laws.

Tournament organisers have unveiled details of their sports presentation programme for Britain’s biggest sporting event since London 2012 and, as revealed by the Telegraph in April, it will focus heavily on explaining the game to the uninitiated.

That will include short films being shown on the big screen before each of the World Cup’s 48 matches about the more complex elements of the sport, as well as pre-match, half-time, and full-time analysis by a pitchside presenter and rugby pundit.

Crash, bang, wallop: The rules of rugby union can be hard to understand Photo: AFP

But spectators will also be able to buy a version of the popular Ref!Link in-ear commentary service which will feature a new channel dedicated to novices.

At £10, it is £2 more expensive than Ref!Link, meaning it would cost a family of four £40 for them each to be able to listen either just to the referee, to the commentary provided by host broadcaster ITV, or to the new beginners’ guide.

However, the films shown on the big screens will be free to download in advance of the tournament. They include videos on kicking, the breakdown, the lineout, the format of the event and various rugby jargon.

The first details of the opening ceremony of the World Cup were also revealed as organisers marked 30 days to go until the tournament.

Called ‘Breaking New Ground’, the 20-minute performance will attempt to tell the story of rugby, starting with its birth in Rugby itself.

It was also revealed that all national anthems at the tournament would be sung by choirs rather than solo artists, that the Twickenham roof would be lit for the whole of the six-week event, and that the London Eye would be dressed in the flags of the 20 competing teams, with the interior of each capsule showcasing images from rugby fans across the world.

It was confirmed live screenings of the October 31 final would take place at several Fanzones, including one in central London, probably Trafalgar Square.